Jack Frost plays with Fire
by Waxlin
Summary: After becoming a guardian Jack feels lonelier than ever. Now that he has friends he never sees, Jack realizes how solitary his life will be. He seeks an unlikely acquaintance to help conquer his growing fear and his growing affection towards the Tooth Fairy. Little does Jack know that he is about to meddle in forces beyond himself, and he will soon learn how it feels to be burned.
1. An Old Acquaintance

"You shouldn't creep, Jack. It doesn't suit you."

He stepped out from behind a volcanic column protruding out of the uneven floor, his eyes wide in shock.

"How did you know?" he asked, surprised.

"You're too predictable, Jack Frost."

"You know me too well," he laughed, leaning on his wooden staff. "It's been too long."

"It has been a long time indeed." Drysin turned and faced him, seeing Jack for the first time in a hundred years. He was still the Jack she knew: tall, thin, pale, and casually handsome. She hadn't forgotten his snow white hair, dark lips, and his mischievous twinkling blue eyes. "Which begs the question," she said, taking slow, deliberate steps towards him, "Why are you here? Why now, and not a hundred more years from now?"

Jack smiled widely, his face lighting up with pride.

"I'm a guardian now. It's official! I saved the day- a boy even saw me!"

"How touching," she replied, grinning mockingly. She circled him, inspecting him with an unimpressed expression. She was tall-almost as tall as Jack- with fiery red hair, bright green almond shaped eyes, full lips, and a devilish smile dancing across her face. "I already knew that. But what has happened to you? I thought you were 'snowballs and funtimes.' Has that Jack died? Are you the new and improved _boring_ Jack? Why have you really come?"

"Oh, I was under the impression you were happy to see me," he said, twirling around his staff. He looked up at her and grinned, his blue eyes chilling the air.

"Ha! That's wishful thinking!" she laughed. "You're a long way from home, Frosty." He shrugged and slipped a hand into his sweatshirt pocket.

"This feels like home. I love them, but the other guardians are really boring sometimes. But this, this is like old times." He traced a snowflake on the floor with his toe, but as soon as the ice touched the ground it evaporated in a mist.

"A little too hot for you, Frosty?" she asked.

"It's a little warm for my taste, but I'm sure it fits you just fine, Firebreath." Drysin cracked a smile. She tiltled back her head and belched out a beam of flames. The air sizzled and wavered from the heat.

"I haven't been called that in a hundred years," she laughed after wiping her mouth on her sleeve. She wore a loose red tunic sinched at the waist with a golden belt over tight black breeches.

"Well then you're sorely overdue!" He lept into the air and landed lightly behind her. Jack blew a gust of frosted wind towards her through a smile.

"Now wait a minute Jack," she interupted, fixing her green eyes on his blue. "I know you didn't come here to reminisce. There's something on your mind, and I will know what it is."

"There's the Drysin I know," he replied. Suddenly, he sighed and flopped to the ground, crossing his legs over each other. "Being a guardian is great, but we don't spend time together. We all have things to do. Ever since Pitch happened, I think I..." Jack let out a gust of frustrated air. "I don't know what I think. I've been feeling so strange lately. I can't get Tooth out of my head. She's in my dreams, she's there when I wake up and she's always the last thing I think of when I fall asleep. She's just... Everywhere. I don't know what's going on with me." He glanced at Drysin, whose lips twisted as she considered the situation.

"The Tooth Fairy?" she smirked. "Of all the girls in the world, and you go for the Tooth Fairy? Jack, have you finally gone soft?" She walked over to a rock column and leaned against it, rubbing the tips of her fingers together in thought as she stared at him. Her red hair hung to her waist like a dripping flame.

"What?" he cried. "I'm not 'going for her,' whatever that means! I don't know what this is, but it's _not_ what you think it is." Drysin rolledd her eyes. "I mean, whatever it _is_, you gotta help me figure it out so I can get her out of my head! I can't go to the guardians about this, they're too busy. And besides, they would laugh at me. You're my only friend left, there's no one else who can help me."

Her relation with Frost could hardly be called a friendship. She once tried to kill him a hundred years ago and he almost succeeded in smothering her flame in retaliation. She wasn't sure what to make of his appearance, much less his plea to help him clear his thoughts about the Tooth Fairy. Drysin was not loved among the Guardians. They thought her evil when she allowed fires to spread or burn people. She and the Tooth Fairy were uneasy aquaintances at best- Drysin didn't know her well. Deep down, she resented the Guardians for their pretentious attitudes. They were Fairytales and every child knew of them-but she? No one knew of the Queen of Fire. No one cared that she brought warmth, light, and shelter to those who needed it.

"Why should I, Jack?" she asked.

"I need some direction, this is messing with me." He fiddled with his staff, running his hands down the uneven shaft. He seemed genuine but she had been fooled before. Her face betrayed her skepticism and he laughed softly.

"What?"

"Why the Tooth Fairy?" He hung his head and smiled to himself. Drysin had seen that look before. He was irresistable with that grin.

"She's fun, nice, caring. She's everything a guy could want. She's beautiful."

"And I'm sure it doesn't hurt that she's the only girl who can see you," Drysin remarked. Jack looked up at her, his clear blue eyes meeting hers. His lips parted slightly.

"You see me," Jack said quietly, gazing at her. For a split second, the air was frozen.

"I don't count, Frosty," she said, brushing it off. Jack shrugged and engrossed himself with his staff. Her lair was too hot for his liking, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it. He came to her, so he had to adjust. "Don't you have better things to do, Jack? Save children, make snow fall, and be the generally annoying person that you are?" The corner of his mouth rose to that familiar half smile she knew all too well.

"I can't save children if there's nothing to save them from," he said matter of factly. "And snow falls whether I'm there to make it happen or not. You of all people should know that, Drysin. As for the annoying person I am, well, I'm sure I'll think of something to adequately annoy you before the day is done. Don't worry, I've got that covered."

"Yes you do, don't you," she replied, crossing her arms.

For a moment there was silence. She regarded him as he stared at her from the floor. He looked no different from the day they first met. A hundred years ago in a rage, she had tracked him down and planned to kill him. He was laying innocently on a snow covered log taking a nap when she found him. The heat from her flame shocked him awake, and before she could engulf him in fire he lept into the air and buried her in ice. She made more attempts to murder him after that, but eventually, after being on the brink of death, she realized that there must be balance in the world, however much it pained her to let him live.

A pulse of anger flashed inside her. Why should she help him? She could kill him right now and end the battle of the elements. Fire over ice, flame over snow. He sensed her thought and stood, locking eyes.

"Drysin, the past is behind us. I don't hate you, in fact, I need you. An unbalanced world is a world primed for destruction. I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll leave." He turned and walked away, leaving her standing amidst her chared rock and fine gray ash. Jack caught her with his frosty blue eyes at the mouth of her cave and was gone.


	2. Burning Up

When Jack awoke, he instantly knew that the screams were not in his head. He grabbed his staff and flung himself into the air, not knowing where he was going, only that he needed to be there now. He caught the wind and hurled towards a glowing dot in a clearing of the forest. As he approached, he could feel the heat on his skin and dread began to twist inside his core. His fear confirmed, he landed lightly on a nearby rooftop and narrowingly escaped a shaft of flame.

He was stunned. The entire end of a town shuttered from the blaze swallowing up rows of houses along the road. An electrical transformer sparked furiously, hissing angrily. Families tore through the streets and a cacophony of screeches swelled in the air. A mother cradled a charred baby in her arms, shrieking out for help, trying not to stumble in the darkness. Fire trucks screamed through the town, firemen scrambled to contain the fire, but Jack could see the flames licking down the pavement and spreading rapidly to other houses.

His eyes filled with horror. A young girl wailed helplessly as she tried to drag her unconscious father from the blaze.

He threw himself at them.

When he touched the burning concrete Jack cringed and shrunk back in pain. Tears filled the corners of his eyes, but he tossed his staff to the ground and grabbed the man under the arms. He heaved with all his might and the man moved a reluctant foot. Jack braced himself again and flung his body backwards, still barely budging the man's dead weight. Jack could feel the girl panicking, but he ignored it and groaned as he gave a third pull. He filled his lungs with air and blew out hard. He, the man, and the girl clinging to her father's arm shot into the air and came crashing down. Before the girl could react he layered her father in frost and went running towards a nearby house, trailing a gust of icy wind.

A teenage boy struggled to climb through a shattered window. His torso was torn up and he had a look of wild frenzy in his eyes. The roar of the fire shook Jack as he breathed cold air down the boy's body to ease the heat. Staff in hand, he tapped the glass. Freezing it, and with a finger, he traced a circle around the boy, knocking the window inward. The boy hit the ground running.

All around him red and orange engulfed buildings, toppled power lines, and swirled skyward. Black smoke devoured the night. Jack could feel the scalding warmth of fire on every inch of his skin. He clutched his chest and doubled over. He heard his own wretched gasps above the rumble. Lifting his staff, he brought it down to the ground and a explosion of ice flew in all directions. The air chilled for a moment before resuming its squelching heat. His ice disappeared in mist. Terror started to set in him. He desperately launched another wave of ice and snow and again it vanished. The fire crept in on him, dancing towards him, lunging forward. He tried to fly away but his cold air refused to lift him off the ground.

Suddenly a thread of flame stroked his arm and he buckled in agony, his body thumping to the searing pavement. A black thread like a lash branded his pale skin where the fire touched him. Jack cried out, falling unconscious as the heat pressed inwards. The violent crackle filling the air faded and darkness took him.

Jack's eyes flickered open. He gasped and inhaled a lungful of ash, crawling to his hands and knees and coughing out black. Several minutes passed before he was able to sit back on his haunches. As soon as his did, a grip of sadness froze his heart. All that was left of the town was a pile of smoking rubble. Gray spun lazily to the sky. A gentle fizzle from hot cinders that once were homes peppered the silence. The streets were empty. A cautious breeze stirred the dust that hung in the air.

"No," Jack breathed, lunging to his feet. "No!" His voice echoed and died. "This can't happen. I was here, I was going to protect you!" The quiet thundered in his ears. He spun around and everywhere was destruction. Everything was black and burned. "No..." He grabbed the sides of his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "This isn't happening." After a moment Jack stooped to pick up his staff, defeated, and saw the black line across his arm.

A fury like he had never felt before crawled up from the pit of his stomach and rose in him poisonously. He flooded with rage, every surface of his body tingling with anger. An incomprehensible growl swelled in his throat. Around him the concrete froze and an icy wind began to swirl the air. The temperature dropped instantly, shards of ice plummeted from the sky. Jack felt himself loosing control of his emotions, but for once he didn't care. He should have saved them, he should have stopped the fire, he should have been faster. He should have been better.

And just as quickly as his rage appeared, it shifted towards the fire. He was going to make Drysin pay for every life she destroyed. He was going to make her pay- and she was going to suffer.


	3. Blurry Truth

The sun illuminated the flakes of snow in Jack's white hair but he was cracking with anger. Trees whipped past him as the wind carried him nearer to Drysin's cave. How could someone he thought he knew hurt people like she did? How could she allow people to die from her flames? How did he not see the evil in her? It was one thing to try to kill him, but it completely another story when others were in danger. She crossed the line and he was going to put her straight.

The cool air was a relief after being surrounded in fire and the more furious he became, the colder he turned. Under his rage, though, he was scared. Why wasn't he able to extinguish the flames? He was the winter spirit, so why couldn't he put out a fire? Was he loosing his powers? He broke off the tip of a tree with an angry swoop of his staff. He was going to get answers, and this time he was not going to fail. He was never going to fail again.

Jack landed at the entrance of Drysin's cave with a gale of icy wind at his back.

"Explain yourself!" he yelled. He clutched his hand in a fist to keep from exploding. Drysin turned to him, calm as ever, composed and clear. Her face was blank, betraying no hint of emotion.

"Explain what, Jack?"

"That town you destoyed! Those people you killed! Why? Why would you do that?" She was expressionless, and Jack could feel his fury crescendoing. The volcanic rock beneath him crackled as ice spread across th floor. The fact that she wouldn't admit her deed only deepened his rage.

"Jack, I am not to blame for the downfall of that town. It was not my doing."

"You're the Fire Queen, of course it was your doing!" She crossed her arms across her chest and gazed at him as if speaking to a child.

"I did not start that fire, Jack." He slammed his staff against the ground, sending shards of ice in all directions.

"How dare you deny what you did? You control fire! You are fire! You could have stopped those people from dying!"

"Get yourself together," she snapped. "You're hysterical and you're not thinking clearly. Why do you care what happens to them? What do they mean to you?"

"I'm a guardian," he hissed through clenched teeth. "My duty is protect children and keep people from dying. When I see something that threatens someone, I have to fight it. I had to fight you."

"Frosty, if you fought me, you'd be in much worse shape than you are now," she replied, ignoring his anger.

"Don't call me that!"

"Calm yourself, Frost. Sit down, it looks like you're about to fall over." She extended her arm, flicked her wrist, and pool of lava rose from the ground and shaped into a round stump. She closed her hand, the molten rock hardening and turning black. "Please, have a seat."

"Drysin, you are going to answer for what you did to those people," Jack said very quietly. Surprised, she glanced over at him. Barely above a whisper, he commanded her attention instantly.

"Have you finally grown a backbone, Frost? Somebody alert the presses." Jack walked towards her, his usually bright blue eyes deeping so dark they appeared black. His chest heaved up and down as he tried to suppress his fury.

"You have to be stopped, Drysin. As a guardian it is my duty to protect people from evil, so I have to protect them from you."

"Ouch Jack, that stung. I'm not evil, but I would love to you see try to stop me from doing my duty. Face it Jack, you're no match for me. You rely on children to protect you. Why, it wasn't the guardians who saved the day, it was those children. It was Jaime. You are obsolute, Jack."

"I can't let you hurt people, Drysin."

"Try and stop me." The air froze for a second before the temperature rose rapidly. "You couldn't put out a minor fire. That town? It was small, it only took one night to obliterate, and you couldn't save those people! You are weak. You think that you're some god, but you are nothing but a lowly spirit. And of what? Ice? Snowballs and fun? Fire is true power. If you couldn't kill one blaze, what makes you think you can protect people from me?"

"I will defeat you," he whispered.  
And like that, Drysin laughed and wiped her face with a hand. Her shoulders relaxed. A friendly smile bent her lips and she could have been mistaken for ambiable. She waved her hand as if waving away the past minutes.

"Sorry Frosty. Sometimes I get a little carried away. Tell me, what do you know of fire? I want to teach you about what I do." Jack was confused for a moment, but he didn't budge. What was she doing? He wasn't going to fall for a cheap trick. "Oh come on, I'm serious here. You were right, the past is behind us."

"This isn't going to work, Drysin." She shrugged.

"Fine. Stand where you are and I'll explain a few things to you. You know this big blue planet we live on? You know, the one called Earth? Well, when it was first formed long ago, fire ruled. Even now, fire and heat live at its core. Molten lava churn constantly beneath us. Now, I am the Queen of Fire, but that doesn't I control every fire that begins or ends. Humans are starting and stopping fires every second, and while I could try to control all fires that exist and don't on this planet, it's not realistic. If I burn out, the world will end. The discovery of fire was man's greatest and man's most important. You should know, it's like snow. You're talking to me, but somewhere there's a blizzard raging that you didn't start."

"Snow doesn't kill people like fire does," he replied coldly. Drysin cracked a smile and shook her head.

"Come on, Jack. You should know more about yourself than you do. A lot of people have died of hyperthermia. More people have had to remove body parts from frostbite. There are a lot of people you've hurt and you don't realize it. So don't be so quick to judge, Jack Frost."

Jack relaxed slightly and looked down at the floor, the seed of doubt beginning to take hold within him. Could she be right? Could he be hurting people even as they spoke?

"So..." he mumbled softly. "Are you saying that you didn't mean to destroy that town?" Drysin laughed. It sounded laced with darkness.

"Now Jack, who said anything about that?"


	4. The Tides Turn

For the first time in his life, Jack didn't want to play games. He wanted a striaght answer, not a joke. Talking to Drysin was beginning to irritate him but he knew he had to keep patient. She would get to the point eventually. Hopefully. She was confusing and he couldn't keep her where he wanted. Was she evil or was that fire somehow not her fault? Should he trust her, or should he imprison her while he had the chance? He had a sinking feeling that the latter would have to be the case, but he held his conclussion.

He and Drysin strode down the snow covered path through the forest. It had been a while since he walked anywhere very far and the cold ground felt good on his feet. The wind rustled his snowy hair. Every step Drysin took left a puddle of water in her wake and hissing snow as it steamed. Her hair danced like a flame and changed colors constantly from reds mixed with yellow to orange and green.

"I don't like the cold," she said plainly as they walked. "It's... quiet, and it's too still. But, most of all, it's lonely, isn't it Jack Frost?"

Jack turned to look over at her from his shoulder. Her green eyes seemed to read inside him, like she understood him. Immediately he felt uncomfortable. He didn't want to relate with a murderer.

"If I didn't like it I wouldn't be much of a Jack Frost, now would I?"

They continued on, but her words began to take hold in his head. Doubts took root in his thoughts. Since he became Jack Frost no one could see him. He couldn't talk to anyone, he couldn't befriend anyone, and he couldn't reach out to _anyone_. He was alone. And, as much as he hated to admit it, he was lonely. He wanted someone to feel something with. He wanted...

"Jack, I know how you feel," Drysin said so he could hardly hear her. She stared forward, taking self-possessed strides. Jack wondered if he imagined her speaking. She was calm, confident, and sure-why would she try to appeal to his emotions? "For centuries I was alone. I went mad. I tried to die in every way conceivable, but here I stand. Years of solitude tests us. For me, my years alone broke me. And what's more, I will never be the same. What is like to have a friend, I wondered. Belief is a curious thing. It used to be that humans worshipped me as a goddess. After those times faded, isolation was unbearable. Jack, you must learn to guard yourself. You may be a guardian, but that does not mean you are invincible, especially to diseases of the mind. You may be loved one day and forgotten the next." Jack's brow furrowed in frustration.

"I already know that," he muttered. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You may hate me, and you have every right to. But you cannot deny that we are similar. The other guardians do not know what it is like, they've been loved since they came to be. Why do you adore them so much?"

"I don't! They're just my friends." Drysin shook her head. She knew him too well to be fooled by his words.

"And these feelings for the Tooth Fairy...?" Suddenly Jack felt cornered. His breath stopped in his chest when he thought of her. It was ridiculous, she was _at least_ a hundred years older than he, so what was wrong with him? He could feel his cheeks turning cold. He blushed opposite of everyone else.

"I don't know... I can't stop thinking about her. She is something else. But I haven't seen her in over two years now because she's always so busy being responisble. And besides, she wouldn't love a guy like me. I'm just a trickster that makes snow fall."

Drysin threw back her head and laughed. Jack stopped in his track and turned around to rise an eyebrow as she doubled over and giggled. He slipped a hand in his sweatshirt pocket and leaned on his staff.

"What?" he asked. She held up a hand, laughing full heartedly at him. He rolled his eyes and sighed. She relaxed after a minute and stood upright, chuckling under her breath.

"Sometimes-" she relapsed and bust out laughing again. It took a moment before she cleared her face. "Sometimes you are really stupid, Frosty."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh come _on_, you can't really be this _naive_!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Jack, really? You're _killing_ me right now!" He threw up his hands in frustration, his lips twisting into a small frown. "Frosty, the Tooth Fairy practically _throws_ herself at you. Did you not notice how she falls over for you? Every female _everywhere_ has the hots for you, if you pardon the expression."

His eyebrows lifted with skepticism.

"_Every_ girl, you say?"

Drysin was suddenly serious, her green eyes burning.

"Oh no, no, no. You wish, Jack. Don't think your little grins work on me."

Jack realized his advantage over her in that moment.

"Really?" he asked with a smirk. He lept into the air, landing on his staff. He balanced in the air, regarding her with his icy blue eyes. "Not even a little?"

"Not on your life, Frosty." He laughed and tilted his head to the side, holding her gaze.

"So, do you not like boys, or...?"

"You're too young to understand what I like," she replied without missing a beat.

"Try me."

"Wait a minute," she said, putting her hands on her hips. She glared up at him from the ground. He was glad for the height advantage. "How does this have anything to do with the Tooth Fairy, or more importantly, how to get over your isolation?"

"Wait a minute," he replied, feigning concern, "how does that have anything to do with the people you killed in that town?"

Drysin crossed her arms angrily. Her hair turned blue and lept up on its own like a flame. Jack knew he had her, and a smile spread along his lips.

"You know nothing, Jack Frost," she growled.

He jumped from his staff, landing lightly on the ground from a backflip before it could fall. Jack snatched it in his hand and didn't bother pretending that he wasn't pleased with himself. He felt heat radiating off her skin from where he stood.

"I don't know, it looks like I know a thing or to," he said, triumph creeping into his voice. He hid his laughter behind a hand as she stormed away in a huff.


	5. Teeth

For a reason unknown to him, Jack was calm as he approached the Tooth Fairy's palace. The first time he visited was two years ago after Pitch stole her fairies. He remembered the awe he initially felt when he gazed upon the hanging towers and ran his fingers along the smooth stone, intricately painted with painstaking detail and breathtakingly vibrant colors. It was the same as it was in all its glory, filling his vision with stunning scenery. Busybody fairies zipped past him carrying teeth. The buzz of beating wings filled the air. He liked the palace, it was alive with activity. He didn't mind being seen either.

He hopped from a tower, catching air, and spread his arms in joy. A happy yell escaped him lips. The ground approached rapidly, and before he shattered his legs in the landing, he flattened his body, shooting vertically. He laughed and a wide smile brightening his face. He twisted up, spiraling the tower, weaving in and out of the buttresses. A trail of snow fell lazily in his wake. His delighted cries echoed across the cave. He felt invincible as he flashed from tower to tower, the wind surrounding him and propelling him forward. He landed and hung by a hand over the void.

"Baby Tooth!" he called. A group of fairies stopped in their routes and gazed at him, starry eyed. Several fainted when he gazed back. Jack laughed, his grin creating more smitten fairies. He heard a quiet squeaking in his ears and turned. "_Baby Tooth_!"

The little fairy's smile was so wide it swallowed her small face. She darted around his head and landed in his hand. She squeaked happily up at him.

"I'm so happy to see you, Baby Tooth! And no, of _course_ I recognized you! How could I forget a face like yours?" She chittered. Her translucent wings shone in the light as they rested. Jack listened for a moment to her speak and nodded. "Yeah, I was actually wondering if Toothiana was here? She is? Great! Can I talk to her?" Baby Tooth shot off, leaving Jack laughing before he lept into the air after her. They made loops, zig-zagged up and down, and darted past courts of fairies. Many were too busy to really notice Jack, but those who did became incapacitated when he flew past them.

Toothiana was chattering about teeth to nearby fairies when they came up behind her. Baby Tooth squeaked and she whirled around in surprise.

"Jack!" she cried, caught off guard. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Tooth," he replied with a half smile. All of a sudden she was blushing deeply and laughing nervously. She fluttered from side to side, not knowing what to do. "I came here to talk to you, about..." He sighed, "I met up with Drysin a few weeks ago. I know her, but I was wondering if you could fill me in on some things." Glad to change the topic from her embarrassed, Tooth agreed enthusiastically. She nodded to the fairies around her and they took off in a heart beat.

Jack crouched on the ground.

"She said some things to me that I never thought of. After she mentioned it, I can't put it out of me head."

Tooth looked concerned.

"Jack," she said. "Why were you talking to the Queen of Fire?" He looked at the ground, knowing he couldn't tell her the truth.

"There was a fire that I tried to stop, but I couldn't. So I went to, you know, bring her to justice." He felt guilty not telling her the whole truth, but what he _had_ told her was true. He glanced at her and she seemed to believe him. Somehow that made him feel worse. "I was going to make her take responsibility for what she did, but then she said she didn't start that fire. She said that she doesn't start all fires. Is that true?"

Toothiana scrunched her nose in thought. When Jack looked at her, he felt strange. His heart went wild, and he couldn't help smiling to himself.

"She's probably right, Jack," Tooth said finally. "I can't be certain, but it makes sense. Snow falls when you don't make it, doesn't it?" He nodded. "So I'm sure she was telling the truth... Still, I wouldn't trust her. She's not someone to mess with."

"Why?" Tooth looked alarmed.

"Jack, she's your spirit opposite. Any way you look at it, it's not a good idea to provoke her." Jack scoffed at the idea.

"_Me_, provoke _her_? If only you knew."

"Jack?"

"Nothing." Tooth put her hand on his shoulder and a shock went through his body. She took on a gentle, coaxing tone.

"Jack, is there something you're not telling me?"

He shook his head quickly. Tooth sighed as if she knew something was up. "I don't know her well," she said, "but from what I do, I'm not sure if she is someone you should talk to at all. Drysin is quite old so she is impatient. She's not evil, not that I know of, but she's got a temper. She's powerful too, and she won't hesitate to put you in your place. Jack, you better steer clear of her. She could really hurt you..."

Hearing the worry in Tooth's voice gripped his heart. Jack reached out with a slim, pale hand and gently tilted her head up so he was gazing into her lavender eyes. There was no shyness now, only concern.

"I'm going to keep out of trouble," he said in his usual carefree tone. "I promise. Look, nothing bad is going to happen, okay?" He smiled at her, but she wasn't convinced. He sighed, standing. "Thanks for answering my question, Tooth." She inclined her head. He walked over to the edge of the tower. Jack prepared to fly away and then stopped. "How old did you say she was?" he asked, glancing back at her. Tooth shook her head.

"Oh... At least two thousand years old," she replied. Jack's eyebrows shot up.

"Wow," he said, laughing. A moment later he was gone, falling from the tower into the open air, snow flakes drifting where he had been standing.


	6. Four Letter Word

The merry crackling of a modest campfire was eclipsed by the laughter of two young girls squatting with sticks in hand, roasting marshmallows. An older boy sat against a log, fiddling with a pocket knife, making a pointed edge on a branch while a girl who looked in her late teens stoked the fire. The two parents sat nearby in lawn chairs, chatting quietly to themselves.

Drysin crouched in between the eldest siblings, staring into the flames. Her hair mimicked the movement of the fire: rising, falling, and twisting, flickering in and out of colors. The light brightened her face, but no one could see her. She wouldn't admit it, but she enjoyed sitting by people's campfires and pretending she knew them. It made her forget her solitude, if only for a night. There were very few people who understood what it was like to live as long as she had.

All of a sudden the teenage girl was reeling backwards, shrieking at the top of her lungs. Fire spread from the tips of her hair and swallowed her head, dancing high into the air. Drysin burst into laughter, doubling over. The parents jumped up and the man tripped over his feet. Tears streamed down the sides of Drysin's cheeks.

"Wait... wait! I can't breath!" she choked through her laughter. The mother scrambled to douse the flames to no avail as the three other children sat paralyzed in shock. Finding his way upright, the father barreled towards her with a pot of water. Before he could throw it, Drysin reached out and directed the fire into her palm. A second too late to stop, water sprayed all over the girl, completely drenching her. The shocked looked on her face sent Drysin into a renewed fit of laughter.

"So you _do_ have a heart," a familiar voice said behind her.

Drysin recovered instantly and rolled her eyes, not turning around.

"Looks can be deceiving," she replied. Her face was perfectly smooth, her expression the picture of calm.

"That looked pretty straight forward to me," Jack continued. She could almost see his smug half grin. Annoyance bubbled in her stomach but her exterior was totally unrevealing. "In fact, I would argue that what happened just then is indisputable."

"What happened, exactly?"

"You stopped that girl from being burned-and I watched you do it." Jack walked around to the front of her. "You could have done nothing, but you didn't. Now what does that make you, I wonder?"

"Somehow _you_ manage to be a pain in my ass," she countered. They ignored the family that was now huddled around their trembling daughter, braying over how worried they were.

"It's part of my job description," Jack replied with a grin. Drysin raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you here, Jack Frost?"

"I spoke to Tooth."

"Oh good, now you can be a pain in _her_ ass."

Jack chuckled.

"I talked to her about _you_."

"Even better," Drysin said sarcastically. "I'm sure you both had a lovely time discussing how evil I am."

"Well actually, I was kinda wondering how old you are," Jack said. She looked up at him, puzzled for a split second, then resumed her stoicism. Her chest rose and fell evenly. He stood staring at her on the ground with his staff gripped in one hand. Jack's white hair was ruffled as always, somehow always looking right on him.

"You're a fetus to me, Jack Frost," she was annoyed that he kept showing up when she didn't want him to. "Why are you really here?"

"I just want to talk to you," he laughed. "Can't friends talk to each other?"

"Your definition of 'friends' is questionable." He spread his arms wide and smiled. The air chilled.

"When you're a guardian friends are hard to come by. Tooth seems to think that you're going to hurt me, but I _just_ don't think you will. What do _you_ think?"

"I wouldn't put all your chips on this one, Frosty."

Around them, the family gathered their camping equipment, apparently believing that moving would prevent other people from catching fire. Drysin shook her head at their stupidity. For a moment she considered turning them to ash then discarded the thought.

Jack sat next to her on the ground. "How did you find me?" she murmured. He shook his head and leaned back.

"I don't know. I can just tell where you are. I was really actually wondering if you could explain that to me."

Drysin sighed deeply. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to see him. She wanted to be left alone.

"We're spirit opposites, Jack, which means we're like yin and yang. One cannot exist without the other. Somehow we're connected because of that, but even I don't fully understand it."

They sat side by side for a long while, thinking on their relation. Why could he feel where she was at all times? Why did this start happening just recently? He felt uncomfortable being so close to her, like he was sitting next to a rabid animal that could turn at any moment. Worse that he could _tell _where she was, as if she was pulling on him from inside his head. Why did it have to be _her_?

"Why did you kill all those people in that town?" he asked. His voice was so quiet it was barely audible. In this moment, he was completely opening himself up to her, but somehow it felt appropriate. She let out a longer, deeper sigh.

"I didn't." She looked down at her lap. She had never spoken to anyone about it. "My element is difficult to control. Fire will consume anything that it can-even myself. I battle my own power every second. The only reason you're not a cinder right now and the forest isn't smoldering rubble is because I'm restraining myself from letting go. I haven't slept in years. I didn't start that fire on purpose, I couldn't stop myself."

Suddenly, Jack felt sympathy for her. He understood what it was like to mess up. He understood what it was like to hurt people even when he was trying his best not to. Too many times he himself had hurt people. He failed the Easter Bunny, he thought of himself over others... And he forgave Drysin. She wasn't evil, he realized. She was misunderstood.

"I'm sorry," he said. She shook her head.

"It hurts you know, holding this inside me."

"I can't imagine."

"But it's true, I can be... Evil. I didn't use to control myself. I've burned people and I set things on fire when I'm angry. Whatever Toothiana said about me is probably true. Goodie two shoes would never lie." Jack chuckled and pointed his staff towards the starry sky. Tiny flakes of snow floated peacefully down to Earth.

"No, she wouldn't, but she's pretty great."

Drysin sneered.

"What?" Jack laughed.

"Don't even say it, Frost," she warned, glaring over at him. Jack's smile reached from ear to ear.

"Say what? I don't know what you're talking about," he replied innocently. His presence made the temperature fall dramatically and Drysin caught herself enjoying the cool air. In the light of the half moon Jack was illuminated softly. He seemed so carefree-she almost envied him.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm glad you and the Tooth Fairy are together, you two deserve each other."

"I can't tell if that's a backhanded compliment or not," Jack laughed.

"Take it however you want to." There was a pause, and then Drysin said quietly, "What else did she say about me?" Jack rolled over so he was laying on the ground. He put his hands behind his head, setting his staff beside him, and looked up at the stars. Drysin could just make out a distant look in his eyes.

"Well first of all, we're not 'together.' I visited her briefly because she's always busy. She said you're hasty." Drysin nodded, agreeing silently. "Oh, and she said you're impatient."

"Well, she's not wrong," Drysin admitted. Jack grinned, shifting slightly. She tried not to look at him.

"But she also thought I shouldn't talk to you."

"What is she, your mother?"

"That would be weird." Drysin shrugged. "But I've wondered... The guardians were all chosen by Manny to become what we are, so doesn't that mean you were too? And Pitch? How could he have done that?" She scoffed.

"I _love_ how you bunch me with Pitch. I'm really feeling the affection here. Open your eyes, Jack: the world is crueler than you think it is. Manny chose every one of us and we all play our part-even Pitch. Where would we be without fear? Probably dead in a ditch somewhere. Don't think you're so high and mighty, Jack Frost." His breath came out in puffs of white.

"So does that mean you have a center?"

"You're really stupid sometimes, Jack," she replied irritably. He grinned, only making her more annoyed. "Of course I do! My center is will. I protect the will of humans and guard over it. Believe it or not, I _help_ people sometimes. When people loose their will I try to restore it in them and I give people the strength to carry on." Jack's eyebrows raised.

"That doesn't sound evil to me."

"It can be." He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. He was perfectly content to lay on the ground, barefoot, wearing tattered pants. A knowing smile spread across his lips.

"I knew there was something more to you. You can try to pretend you're evil, but I'm not buying it."

Drysin was brimming with anger, but she calmly lay next to him. Her hair whipped against the dirt, toying with the idea of lighting it afire. Who was he to tell her what she was and wasn't? She could burn him to a crisp in less than thirty seconds and yet he didn't even flinch when she got close to him. He needed to learn not to get too comfortable around her.

"You're getting into dangerous territory, Frost," she muttered. "It's not wise to get so used to the company of someone who could kill you."

Jack didn't move. For several minutes they said nothing. She knew she couldn't sleep and she fought the heavy weight of her eyelids. How long had it been since she slept? But she wouldn't give in. She was silently grateful for the cold air to help her.

Drysin didn't know how long they had laid side by side, neither making a sound, but she would never forget the surprise she felt when soft, ice cold lips brushed against her own. Manny smiled down at her from the sky and the stars shone happily. Suddenly she knew what she was going to do.


	7. Point of no Return

Jack gasped awake when he felt a tightening on his wrists. Eyes flying open, he immediately cried out in alarm. Straps around his arms and legs held him to an immense stone slab tilted forward towards a hissing pool of molten magma. He would have been dead in an instant if the rock restraints weren't holding him immobile. Tensing, Jack tried to shrink back from the heat but he was fixed in place. His skin was scorching.

"_Drysin!_" he bellowed. His voice echoed off the cave walls and he could hear his fear. "_Drysin_, what are you _doing_?"

_What are you doing?_

_What are you doing?_

_What are you doing?_

"Drysin!"

_Drysin!_

_Drysin!_

_Drysin!_

Only silence greeted him. Jack struggled and twisted but the more he fought the tighter the restraints became. Jagged rock sunk into his flesh and he groaned in pain, his cold blood welling up from the cut skin. Panic started to rise in him as he wrestled uselessly against the serrated stone.

"Stop squirming Frosty, it'll only make this worse."

His head whipped up to see Drysin standing beyond the pool, serene as if they were discussing the weather over tea. He completely lost it.

"_What do you think you're doing_?" Shards of ice exploded from his mouth and hurdled towards her. They parted the air, hissing as they flew, propelled forward.

A dart of ice sliced through her right eye, coming clean out of the other side of her head. Shrieking, Drysin clutched her face with a hand. Jack froze, shocked, stunned from his own reaction. He didn't think that would happen.

"Drysin-!" Her hand flopped to her side- she was laughing.

"You didn't think a little ice would hurt me, did you?" she smirked. Jack gaped at the eye, green and perfectly whole.

"What-?"

"Save your breath. You're going to need it in a few minutes."

"What are you going to do to me?" The look on her face sent shivers down his spine.

"The question is, Jack Frost, what are _you_ going to do with _me_?" Jack's face twisted into a furious scowl. He tried to lunge towards her but was snapped back to the rock painfully. "I'll warn you again: don't squirm, there's no point. Unless, of course, you _want_ to carve up those pretty wrists of yours?" A rage filled growl tore through his throat.

"Stop playing games with me!"

"I'm only having a little fun," she pouted. A malicious grin snaked across her lips. "Isn't that what you're supposed to protect?"

"This isn't anything I could protect. This is insane!"

"A few centuries can do that to a person." Jack fixed her with his cold blue eyes, glaring with unparalleled hatred.

"_You're a monster_." She threw back her head and laughed.

"Now _that's_ more like it! Oh, what _was_ it you said? 'You can try to pretend to be evil, but I'm not buying it.' Are you buying it _now_, Frosty?"

"Drysin, stop!"

"Or what?" she asked. Her hair leapt into the air, twirling between different shades of red and orange. The interior of her cave was unfurnished, but in the glowing light of the liquid rock, shadows marched confidently along the walls. Jack couldn't speak-he had no idea what to say. What could he say to a maniac? She grinned knowingly at him, green eyes laughing cruelly. He growled in frustration and beads of sweat started to collect at his temples.

"That's what I thought. Well, I suppose there's no reason to delay if you have nothing to say about it. Shall we begin, Mr. Frost?" She didn't wait for him to reply. "Think whatever you like about me, but one thing is certain: I am not stupid. I know how you work, Frosty, and I knew one day you'd confront me. When you came to me asking about the Tooth Fairy it seemed that fate had graced us with her presence. If you want to talk about an evil spirit, Fate is perhaps the cruelest of them all, Jack. I mean, she is just _merciless_. I could learn a thing or two from her. Anyways! I wasn't sure if you were right for the job but after a few minutes the answer became clear. And, of course, it didn't hurt that you're so easily manipulated. You're too trusting, too good intentioned, and too gullible." She stepped into the pool of magma and walked towards him, the temperature from the molten core not effecting her. Dread sunk into the pit of Jack's stomach. H was unable to do anything but watch her approach and hope this was all a foul nightmare. He shut his eyes tight, trying to breathe slowly, and opened, groaning to find she was still there. "_Relax_, Jack! It's going to be okay. It won't be too painful and then you'll be... Better. I think."

"What are you going to do to me?" He prayed he didn't sound as forgone as he felt.

"There is an ancient ritual that can turn ordinary people into spirits, so, of course, there is a ritual that can change a spirit into something else. It's complicated and requires the right host, but it's possible. How do you think Manny does it?" She was directly in front of him, looking up at his pale face and his wide blue eyes. She studied him for a minute, and for a split second Jack swore he saw... Sadness? But it was gone before he could be sure. "The trick to deception is truth. The truth does not exist entirely, not really, but if you reveal enough of it, lies can be hidden underneath. You are so young and pure of heart- you have yet to learn the ways of the world. If this works correctly you will have many years to figure it out. Now, let's begin."

She reached out to touch his face and Jack twisted to get away. Suddenly, his entire body was screaming in agony. Every inch of his skin was screeching in pure anguish. He couldn't breathe- the air stuck in his lungs. The sides of his frame tried to collapse in on itself and the edges of his vision became black. He fought to remain conscious. Through watery eyes Jack looked down to see the rock restrains glowing white-hot, searing into his body.

He struggled frantically, blindly throwing himself against the stone, but the restraints wouldn't budge. An unintelligible yell escaped his lips. His mind filled with panic, flashing from one memory to another to another. Everything in the world disappeared, only him, the heat, and pain existed. Jack could feel the muscle beneath his skin tightening and shrinking from the scorching rock.

"Jack, the more you struggle the more painful this will be." Her voice sounded a thousand miles a day, like a whisper underwater. Darkness chewed away at the sides of his sight but he could see that she hadn't even touched him yet. Fear stabbed into Jack's heart like nothing he had ever felt before.

Drysin extended her arm, a knife of flame protruding from her hand, and made two diagonal cuts on either side of his neck. Jack's eyes burst open and he cried out, filling the cave with his agony. Dark, cool blood ran down his neck and streaked his torso. She slid the blade along her own hand, spilling blood down her arm into the magma. The liquid rock spit and hissed as it fell.

"This is the most difficult transfer because it demands a certain type of host. We have the advantage of being spirit opposites but even that isn't enough. You can deny it all you want, Jack Frost, but I know the truth. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to do _this_."

She placed her hand on his bare chest-Jack screamed.

White swelled and engulfed the cave, boiling steam blasting in all directions. Drysin braced herself against the wave. The force of the contact shook the entire cave-deep rumbling above them was followed by massive pieces of the roof breaking free and smashing against the ground. Rock exploded into a million fragmented slivers, filling the air, and clouds of debris shot up from the floor. thundering sound surrounded every inch of the hollowed mountain, molten lava leaping from the pool. Jack's scream was buried underneath the eruptions.

His body felt as if it was being ripped apart from the inside out. He screamed but couldn't gasp in air fast enough to satisfy his starving lungs. His arms and legs dug into the jagged rock but he barely felt it over the excruciating pain in his chest. There wasn't a spot on his body that didn't wail in agony. An eternity stretched on- him, unable to breathe, and the searing pain of every nerve crying out for mercy. No relief came to him, and he screamed through his suffering.

When Drysin finally stepped away from him, Jack was shaking. He hung loosely in the straps, head to his chest. His frosty white hair was matted to his skin with sweat. Choking on the ash, he convulsed against the rock. She tilted her head.

"See, that wasn't so bad." The quiet after the rupture was palpable. "But it's not over yet."

Jack slowly raised his head. Croaking, he said,

"Why..." He coughed up smoke. "No..." A heat was starting to rise in his core.

"You're beginning to feel the effects already. It won't be complete until the last step, however. Legend says that it is always the most difficult."

"Please..." This time when he coughed, a tendril of flame slipped through his mouth. A small, genuine smile curled the corner of Drysin's lips.

"_Finally_, after so _long_... It's so beautiful..." she whispered.

"Drysin..." Jack flopped back, smoke spilling out from within him. For the first time in over three hundred years he felt... Hot. His stomach was like a sack of hot coals. It didn't feel right- it was _wrong_. He was Jack Frost, but now there was a flame inside him.

"Jack," Drysin began quietly, "there's a reason I chose you for this. The host needed for this transfer must be connected to the primary spirit through the deepest bond possible. Unfortunately, hate is not a strong enough bond, otherwise we would have done this long ago. Unfortunately the strongest bond..."

She stood on her toes to reach him on the slab, her hands behind her back, and slowly- gently even- kissed him.

For the first time in a thousand of years, Drysin allowed herself to _feel_. The heat of his lips on hers, the stir of his breath, his parted mouth. A flood of energy flowed between them.

"Is love."

For a moment he thought his heart stopped. Jack tried to resist but his strength had left him. He was terrified- but not of her or the loss of his powers. He was terrified because deep down, somewhere where no one else could see, he knew she was right.

Jack was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness and hung his head. After that town had burned he promised himself he would never fail again. Not even two months had passed and he already broke his promise.

"I make a mess of everything," he murmured, defeated. His body relaxed and slumped against the restraints. His will crumbled. He failed those people, he failed the Guardians-he failed Tooth... Why did they trust him with anything? He couldn't even keep himself out of trouble, he _couldn't_ be a guardian. Sophie and Jaime... He failed them all.

A hot tear rolled down his pale cheek. Before he could stop another followed. Drysin stepped back.

"Jack..."

"Is this what you wanted, Drysin?" he breathed, barely above silent. "You got what you wanted...You broke me."

The air was perfectly still and nothing made a sound. Jack didn't try to move. He didn't fight, he allowed himself to hang uselessly. He was conquered, and he could feel every ounce of strength within him dying.

"This must be, Jack." The heat in his heart rose to burning. It_ hurt_, but there was more. He felt... uncontrollable, like there was a wild beast trying to claw its way out of his body.

"What is it?" he moaned. It twisted and fought him, pushing, ripping, and searing. "_What is it?_"

"I'm so sorry," Drysin whispered. "You have it now, I am so sorry." He squirmed, but she turned and slowly walked away. The sound of her steps on the floor bounced off the cave walls. Light swelled and ebbed, and the shadows followed her. It was all Jack could manage to watch her grow smaller and smaller in the distance. She eventually stopped at the mouth, standing with the wind blowing her brown hair. For several minutes she stood, staring back at him chained to the rock. Jack could barely keep his head up, but through hazy vision he saw a single tear fall from her eye to the ground. A second later she was gone, leaving the whistling wind in her wake. Jack closed his eyes and drifted into darkness.

The end

**Author's note**: Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate your shared interest and willingness to stick with the story. I'd love to hear your thoughts, any suggestions, and ideas for future stories! Thanks again.


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